Julie Rierson
High School Honors
3 Volleyball letters. 1st Team All-PIL as Junior and Senior.3 Basketball letters. 1st Team All-PIL as Senior; Honorable MentionAll-State3 Softball letters. 2nd Team All-PIL as Sophomore.Won the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Mel Fox, and Pete WardCollege Scholarships. Senior Class President; Salutatorian.
Post-High School Career
4 Volleyball letters at Lewis & Clark College on PresidentialScholarships. Northwest Conference Championship Teams 4 years,District Champions and NAIA Nationals, 1987. NAIA District All-Starand All-Star in Senior year tournaments; led team in kills, blocks,block assists, and service aces. LC record holder with 52 service acesin a season. Basketball letter as Junior. BA (Math) and MA (Teaching)Degrees from LC. Taught math and coached Volleyball andBasketball at Madison and Franklin over a 25-year career in PortlandPublic Schools. Presently Vice Principal at Franklin.
Commentary
From an early age, athletics has brought me a sense of community. Whether it was on the field during Little League, a pick-up game of basketball or playing football on the beach, I loved that it brought people together. As a little kid, I participated in gymnastics and swimming, but I have most appreciated being part of a team, where we pushed one another to our limits and worked towards a shared goal. This sense of community and camaraderie is why volleyball, basketball and softball became such a large part of my middle school, high school and college experience. In addition to a value of teamwork, playing competitively taught me how to strategize, how to be disciplined and how to persevere when pursuing my goals. I am grateful to have had athletics as part of my educational experience and I hope that, as an educator, coach and parent, I have been able to pass these lessons on to others.
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